In a YouTube video, Colonel Gulmurod Khalimov, the former head of the Tajikistan Special Forces, announced that he has joined ISIS forces.
Reuters reports that the 10-minute video clip was posted on YouTube on Wednesday May 27.
Khalimov went missing at the end of April and efforts to locate him were not successful.
In the YouTube clip, Khalimov appears with bullet straps on his shoulder and gun in hand, announcing in Russian the advent of “jihad” in Russia and the United States.
He also aims a threat at Tajik high officials, saying: “Khorasan forces will come to kill you. We will establish sharia in Tajikistan.”
ISIS forces refer to Afghanistan, Pakistan and surrounding areas as “Khorasan Province”.
Khalimov refers to Tajik President Emamali Rahman as a “dog” and calls on the army to rise against a government that “bans hijab and prayers on the streets”.
He also calls on the one million Tajiks who work in Russia to end their “slavery” and join ISIS.
The Tajikistan interior ministry has not made any statements regarding Khalimov.
Local media have quoted security sources saying Gulmurod Khalimovdid his military training in Russia and the United States. The reports add that before disappearing, he had promoted ISIS among other members of the Tajik police force.
